Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Rankings

There’s a new ruler atop the heavyweight division, albeit a
familiar face.

Cain
Velasquez closed out 2012 in style, reclaiming the UFC
heavyweight title with a five-round battering of Junior dos
Santos at
UFC 155 and leaving no question as to who is MMA’s best big
man. Any notion that the Brazilian might repeat his title-winning
performance from November 2011 was quickly quashed, as Velasquez
used superior speed and wrestling to bring the fight where he
wanted. The new champ’s path won’t get any easier with his next
defense, likely to come against the winner of February’s Alistair
Overeem-Antonio
Silva showdown.

Elsewhere on the scale, bantamweights Eddie
Wineland and Brad
Pickett swapped spots at 135 pounds after Wineland punched his
way to a split decision win on Dec. 29. At middleweight, Tim Boetsch
falls to the contenders list after a third-round TKO loss to
Constantinos
Philippou, who enters the rankings for the first time at No.
10.